DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-6, 15-16 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sago et al. (JP 2002 270681, IDS/ISR Document) in view of Visser (US 5,177,878).
Regarding Claim 1, Sago discloses an electrostatic chuck (2, Figures 1-6, 8-11) comprising:
a dielectric layer having a substrate supporting surface (comprising 22 having a substrate support surface, Figures 1-4, 8, 10), the substrate supporting surface having a plurality of dot-shaped protrusions (25, Figures 1-4, 8-11) and an annular protrusion surrounding the plurality of dot-shaped protrusions (27, Figures 3-4, 8), the annular protrusion having an inner circumferential wall and an outer circumferential wall (inner and outer circumferential wall of 27, Figures 3-4), the inner circumferential wall having a circular arc portion extending along a part of a first circle in plan view and the outer circumferential wall having a circular arc portion extending along a part of a second circle lager than the first circle in plan view, and a cutout portion extending linearly between both ends of the circular arc portion in plan view (Figure 3 shows the inner wall and the outer wall with a circular arc portion and a cutout portion); and
a chuck electrode layer disposed in the dielectric layer to overlap the annular protrusion over an entire circumference in plan view (comprising a pair of electrodes in 22, Figure 1, 23, Figure 10).
Sago does not specifically disclose the inner circumferential wall extending over the entire circumference along the first circle (Sago discloses inner and outer wall as shown in Figure 4 of the instant application).
Visser discloses a substrate support device (Figures 8-9) comprising a lower plate and a further plate/top plate (205, 255, Figures 8-9), and including a center zone comprising plurality of grooves and/bores (center zone comprising 259, 252, Figures 8-9) and a peripheral zone (outer zone without any groves or bores, Figure 9) comprising an inner circumferential edge extending over the entire circumference along a first circle in a plan view and inner circumferential edge having a circular arc portion extending along a part of a first circle in a plan view and the outer circumferential edge having a circular arc portion extending along a part of a second circle lager than the first circle in a plan view, and a cutout portion extending linearly between both ends of the circular arc portion in plan view (lower semicircular portion in Figure 9 showing circular inner edge and flat/cutout portion).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a cutout portion in the electrostatic chuck of Sago a cutout portion as taught by Visser (to shape the outer wall circumferential wall of the annular protrusion of Sago with the cutout portion), to match the substrate shape and optimize the heat transfer between the substrate and the electrostatic chuck.
Regarding Claim 2, combination of Sago and Visser discloses the electrostatic chuck of Claim 1, wherein the annular protrusion has a first width from the outer circumferential wall to the inner circumferential wall at the circular arc portion (Sago, a first width from the outer and inner circumferential wall of 27, Figures 3-4, Visser, Figure 9, a first width excluding region of the cutout portion of the outer edge).
Regarding Claim 3, combination of Sago and Visser discloses the electrostatic chuck of Claim 2, wherein the annular protrusion has a second width from the outer circumferential wall to the inner circumferential wall at a central region of the cutout portion (Visser, Figure 9, a second width between the outer linear cutout edge portion and inner circular edge portion in the combination).
Regarding Claim 4, combination of Sago and Visser discloses the electrostatic chuck of Claim 3, wherein the width of the annular protrusion gradually decreases from an outer region of the cutout portion to the central region of the cutout portion (Visser, Figure 9, a second width gradually decreasing from an outer region to the central region of the cutout portion in the combination).
Regarding Claim 5, combination of Sago and Visser discloses the electrostatic chuck of Claim 4, wherein the first width is within a range of 1 to 10 times the second width (Visser, Figure 9, schematically drawn, shows a first width within a range of 1 to 10 times the second width in the combination).
Regarding Claim 6, combination of Sago and Visser discloses the electrostatic chuck of Claim 5, wherein the first width is within a range of 1 mm to 10 mm (Abstract, “…The width of the peripheral protruding part 27 is 2 mm or less, which is equivalent to twice the thickness of substrate 9 or less”, Claim 4).
Regarding Claim 15, Sago discloses an electrostatic chuck (Figures 1-11) comprising:
a dielectric layer having a substrate supporting surface (22 having a substrate support surface), the substrate supporting surface having a plurality of dot-shaped protrusions (25) and an annular protrusion surrounding the plurality of dot-shaped protrusions (27), the annular protrusion having an inner circumferential wall and an outer circumferential wall (inner and outer wall of 27, Figures 3-4), ), the inner circumferential wall having a circular arc portion extending along a part of a first circle in plan view and the outer circumferential wall having a circular arc portion extending along a part of a second circle lager than the first circle in plan view, and a cutout portion extending linearly between both ends of the circular arc portion in plan view (Figure 3 shows the inner wall and the outer wall with a circular arc portion and a cutout portion); and
a chuck electrode layer disposed in the dielectric layer to overlap the annular protrusion over an entire circumference in plan view (comprising a pair of electrodes in 22, Figure 1, 23, Figure 10).
Sago does not specifically disclose the inner circumferential wall extending over the entire circumference along the first circle (Sago discloses inner and outer wall as shown in Figure 4 of the instant application).
Visser discloses a substrate support device (Figures 8-9) comprising a lower plate and a further plate/top plate (205, 255, Figures 8-9), and including a center zone comprising plurality of grooves and/bores (center zone comprising 259, 252, Figures 8-9) and a peripheral zone (outer zone without any groves or bores, Figure 9) comprising an inner circumferential edge extending over the entire circumference along a first circle in a plan view and inner circumferential edge having a circular arc portion extending along a part of a first circle in a plan view and the outer circumferential edge having a circular arc portion extending along a part of a second circle lager than the first circle in a plan view, and a cutout portion extending linearly between both ends of the circular arc portion in plan view (lower semicircular portion in Figure 9 showing circular inner edge and flat/cutout portion).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide a cutout portion in the electrostatic chuck of Sago a cutout portion as taught by Visser (to shape the outer wall circumferential wall of the annular protrusion of Sago with the cutoff portion), to match the substrate shape and optimize the heat transfer between the substrate and the electrostatic chuck.
Regarding Claim 16, combination of Sago and Visser discloses a substrate processing apparatus (Figure 1) comprising: the electrostatic chuck described in claim 1 (electrostatic chuck 2 in processing chamber 11 of the processing apparatus, Figure 1).
Claims 11-14 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Sago et al. (JP 2002 270681, IDS/ISR Document) in view of Visser (US 5,177,878) and Ono et al. (US 11,776,836).
Regarding Claim 11, combination of Sago and Visser does not specifically disclose the electrostatic chuck of Claim 1, wherein the outer peripheral edge of the chuck electrode layer extends over an entire circumference along a third circle between the first circle and the second circle in plan view.
Ono discloses an electrostatic chuck (10, Figures 1, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B) comprising:
a dielectric layer having a substrate supporting surface (comprising 100 having a substrate support surface holding substrate W, Figure 1), the substrate supporting surface having a plurality of dot-shaped protrusions (comprising 113, Figure 2B) and an annular protrusion surrounding the plurality of dot-shaped protrusions (comprising outermost protrusion on major surface 101, Figure 2B), the annular protrusion having an inner circumferential wall extending in a first circle and an outer circumferential wall extending along a circular arc portion in a second circle and a cutout portion (inner and outer circumferential wall of the outer protrusion at 101, Figure 2A); and
a chuck electrode layer disposed in the dielectric layer to overlap the annular protrusion over an entire circumference (comprising 111 in 100 overlap the annular protrusion at 101, Figures 1, 2B),
wherein the outer peripheral edge of the chuck electrode layer extends over an entire circumference along a third circle between the first circle and the second circle (Figure 2B, cross sectional view shows the outer edge of 111 overlapping along a third circle between the first circle and the second circle, Figure 1). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the electrode layer and the annular protrusion in the combination, with an overlap as taught by Ono, to apply clamping voltage to hold the substrate uniformly including the edge.
Regarding Claim 12, combination of Sago, Visser and Ono discloses the electrostatic chuck of Claim 11, wherein a radial distance between the outer circumferential edge of the chuck electrode layer and the inner circumferential wall of the annular protrusion is constant over the entire circumference in plan view (Ono, Figure 2B in the combination).
Regarding Claims 13-14, combination of Sago, Visser and Ono discloses the electrostatic chuck of Claim 12, wherein the radial distance between the outer circumferential edge of the chuck electrode layer and the inner circumferential wall of the annular protrusion in plan view is within a range of 0 mm to about half the width of the annular protrusion and the width of the annular protrusion of 27 mm. Combination of Sago, Visser and Ono upper range being 10 mm (Claim 13) or a radial distance between the outer circumferential edge of the chuck electrode layer and the cutout portion of the outer circumferential wall of the annular protrusion in the central region of the cutout portion is 0.1 mm or more in plan view (Claim 14). It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to select in the combination, the radial distance between the outer circumferential edge of the chuck electrode layer and the inner circumferential wall of the annular protrusion and the cutout portion as desired to match the substrate periphery including wafer flat/linear periphery to facilitate efficient clamping to result in optimum processing yield.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 7-10 re objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
The following is a statement of reasons for the indication of allowable subject matter: Regarding Claim 7, combination of Sago and Visser does not disclose the electrostatic chuck of Claim 1, wherein an outer peripheral edge of the chuck electrode layer has a linear portion extending linearly between the cutout portion of the outer circumferential wall and the inner circumferential wall in plan view, and would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Claims 8-10 depend from Claim 7 and objected due to dependency to an objected claim.
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to applicant's disclosure. Kitabayashi et al. (H07153825) discloses an electrostatic chuck (1, Figures 1-2) comprising:
a dielectric layer having a substrate supporting surface (comprising 3 having a substrate support surface, Figures 1-2), the substrate supporting surface having a plurality of dot-shaped protrusions (5, Figures 1-2) and an annular protrusion surrounding the plurality of dot-shaped protrusions (3a, Figures 1-2), the annular protrusion having an inner circumferential wall and an outer circumferential wall (inner and outer circumferential wall of 3a, Figures 1-2), the inner circumferential wall having a circular arc portion extending along a part of a first circle in plan view and the outer circumferential wall having a circular arc portion extending along a part of a second circle lager than the first circle in plan view, and a cutout portion extending linearly between both ends of the circular arc portion in plan view (Figure 2 shows the inner wall and the outer wall with a circular arc portion and a cutout portion); and
a chuck electrode layer disposed in the dielectric layer to overlap the annular protrusion over an entire circumference in plan view (comprising 4, Figure 1).
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LUCY M THOMAS whose telephone number is (571)272-6002. The examiner can normally be reached Mon-Fri 9:30 am - 5:30 pm.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Crystal L Hammond can be reached at (571)270-1682. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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/LUCY M THOMAS/Examiner, Art Unit 2838, 7/20/2026
/CRYSTAL L HAMMOND/Supervisory Primary Examiner, Art Unit 2838
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